#YoungCreativeAcademy

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Cannes 2015 Day 7 / Heston Blumenthal

HESTON BLUMETHAL TALKS ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF DETERMINED DISRUPTIVENESS

Every creation, every discovery that has changed the world has come from non-linear thinking. Non-linear thinking is what makes the world advance. 

But then what happens is that we build a model, a structure to explain what we’ve done. That structure then becomes education. And education (linear, conformist) is killing creativity. 

You're told what to learn, you don't get to ask question. 

Why? Why shouldn’t you ask questions. Curiosity is the essence of creativity.

Question everything. Ask why? 

Perfection also kills creativity. The fear of failure... In a discovery world, failure is learning. A non-judgemental world. 

Do the opposite of what you were taught in school.

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Cannes 2015 Day 6 / Leadership Workshop

Bob Isherwood: Leadership Workshop

Followship, not leadership. 

It's very hard to be a leader in the creative industry. 

Creatives don't want to be lead others. But they may follow... 

Be the person people will want to follow. Be inspirational. (having better work also helps). 

Creative people are not about jobs anymore, they're about callings. 

Setting the dream is very important. Aim for the stars. 

Exceptional leaders raise the bar and remove the noise. 

  They have a clear vision, a clear purpose and clear goals. 

A vision gives context (the ability to decide wich decision is important and the confidence to keep going). 

A vision inspires people and let them make decisions by themselves. 

A vision is not a purpose. 

A vision says ‘I know what is going to look like when it’s done’. 

A purpose says ‘I know why I’m doing this, what problem we are solving’.

McClaren's vision: "Make the car go faster” (it’s brilliant because it works for everyone in the company). 

When you're a leader is not about you anymore, is about your team. 

Your job is to make other people's work better. 

You have to create an environment where people feel protected and not afraid.

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Cannes 2015 Day 6 / One Twenty Three West

GOOD AT YOUR JOB? STOP DOING IT FOR SOMEONE ELSE.

Hosted by ONE TWENTY THREE WEST

If you’re at the top of your game, the time to start your own ad/design/digital firm is probably now. Because you’re giving your best years to build a company that likely won’t be there for you in 15 years from now.

These were the lessons learned from recent startup One Twenty Three West from Vancouver, Canada. After only two years in business they have over 20 clients, have been named one of the top 10 agencies in Canada, won awards such as a Cyber Lion for their 123w.ca website and are now speaking at The Cannes Festival of Creativity for the second year in a row.

8 REASONS TO START YOUR OWN AGENCY

You’ve realized that the people who hired you are the problem.

You hate everyone. Even the nice people.

Your company’s say it’s about the work. But you know it’s about the money - just not for you.

You spend more time in meetings and dealing with internal politics than doing the work.

You’re not doing the things that made you great.

You’re focused but your agency isn’t.

You’re not learning anymore.

You realize it’s easier to start something new than fix something old.

5 BORING PEOPLE YOU NEED:

The CFO.

The Lawyer.

The Accountant.

The Banker.

The Insurance Broker.

BUILDING THE BRAND

Find Blue Water (Blue Ocean Strategy) and focus on what you’re good at.

Test it before you go live (with key clients, partners, employees, etc…).

Tip: No Portfolio (always present your portfolio in person, not digitally).

Press is free. And a thousand times better than any ad. Make press a priority.

Your space is the best intro to your story.

SET CONCRET GOALS

Happiness (your team’s personal goals and dreams).

Awards (1 Cannes Lion, 1 Effie, etc…).

Revenue (base, target, stretch).

Press (mainstream media, industry articles).

TOOLS

Estimates: Quotient

Timesheets: Harvest

Billing: Xero

Computer + Internet + Printer + Smartphone = Agency

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Cannes 2015 Day 6 / Pablo Del Campo

Creative consistency, despite everything.

Pablo del Campo, Worldwide Creative Director, Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi

The importance of defining clear focus and clear goals, understanding the limits, and taking advantage of unexpected opportunities like local, regional or global crisis. 

Cannes is a unique opportunity to get attention, but you have to go step by step and always with a measurable goal. 

First you have to draw the attention of your main client, even if you have to challenge them with other clients work. But usually the big money clients don't trust new agencies. 

Find a small client to do great work and always aim for PR attention. Even if they don't have a lot of money, they just have to have a lot of media. 

Generally the impact is greater when there are no expectations. 

Example: Buenos Aires Zoo 

First, creative visibility was about print. 

Then, creative visibility was about film. 

Now, creative is about real innovation that can win in several categories. 

The ideas that are winning this year are winning in several categories. 

Why aim for the one soccer medal when you can win 8 like Michael Phelps? 

Your ideas have to be bigger than ads. 

Ideas that can play in different platforms. 

Move from storytelling to storydoing.

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Cannes 2015 Day 5 / ACT Responsible Exhibition

ACT Responsible Exhibition

A few days after the 9/11terrorist attacks a team of employees from AdForum.com decided to launch ACT (Advertising Community Together). The online message: “It’s our business to help” called the worldwide advertising community to act against terrorism. The initiative became a non-profit association managed by a team of volunteers with the financial support of major players in the industry. 

These were the campaigns I still remember from the exhibition:

Raising the Roof - "Not Sorry" - Leo Burnett Toronto

The Beach Wanted Ad - Y&R Paris

Every 6 seconds.

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Cannes 2015 Day 5 / Simon Wells, Crisis Negotiator

WORKSHOP: LISTENING TO KIDNAPPERS, TERRORISTS AND EACH OTHER

Simon Wells, former police officer and crisis negotiator.

The world has witnessed some horrific incidents over the recent years, particularly in the past few months. These incidents have included kidnappings and other acts of terrorism. Behavioural Science research has been used to better understand why people act in these ways but also how to communicate with them and try to influence their behaviour. This research can also have a significant impact on how we talk and listen to each other in the workplace.

How to create empathy and a good first impression.

First impressions are very important for humans. 

It's about the other person not about you or your problems. 

So be an interested person, not an interesting person.

Listeners are the best sellers. 

TIP: summarize back the important stuff people tell you. 

Listening Skills:

Focus 

Respond 

Encourage 

O.A.R.S (Open ended question: Affirmation : Respond : Summarise) 

3A’s - Autonomy:Acceptance:Adaptation 

2E’s - Empathy:Evocation 

Be prepared for important conversations.

Always take the time to think of the person you're going to meet. Do your research. 

Create an atmosphere that gives you more ability to listen (time, no interruptions, not loud). 

Have a plan for bad first impressions. What's plan B? 

Remember that it’s not what you say, it's what the other person hears. 

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Cannes 2015 Day 4 / LEGO Workshop

WORKSHOP: CO-CREATING THE FUTURE

The Creativity of the Crowd

The world’s most successful companies are harnessing the power of consumer involvement, co-creating the future of brands, in collaboration with the people that care the most.

The fundamental idea behind LEGO Ideas

“If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.” - George Bernard Shaw

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Cannes 2015 Day 4 / Lucy Hocking, BBC

How to prepare and deal with tough interviews.

ME: "Where do you find your stories?" 

LUCY: "Twitter, local reporters, and stuff people send me." 

ME: "What about stories about ads?" 

LUCY: "Clever, funny and meaningful ads are the ones news pick up." 

TIPS FOR INTERVIEWS

Engage with the interviewer. 

Don't use industry speak. 

Give personal examples. 

Simple answers. 

Don't answer what you don't want to answer. Just be polite and say what you want to say. 

Have a clear message you want to get across. 

Always have good haircut and makeup (even if you're a man). 

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Cannes 2015 Day 4 / Sam Sauders

How to come up with, and identify, a BIG IDEA.

Sam Saunders, Chief Creative Officer, Writer, Oceanyc

How to test if you have a big idea, just a tagline or nothing? Learn how to trim the fat without losing the gist, by understanding the difference between an idea, a campaign line and a tagline. 

CAMPAIGN STRUCTURE: Problem -> Campaign Objective -> Consumer Insight -> Big Idea -> Execution -> Intended Action.

TAGLINES

"Your friend at the end."

Taglines are NOT Big Ideas. They are:

Usually a statement of fact. 

Express the attitude of the brand. 

Don’t contain an ‘IDEA’. 

Examples: 

A Diamond Is Forever = statement 

Just Do It = attitude 

Keep Walking = attitude 

So what’s the point of taglines? 

Brand: Nike 

Tagline: Just Do It

Brand Truth: Sport to the max. 

What it means to the consumer: “If I wear Nike, it shows I am no-bullshit-serious about competing as hard as I can." 

Why it’s great: Works for any sport in their portfolio. Affixes Nike to helping you break through personal barriers. Dozens of campaigns fit under it flawlessly. 

And that’s why taglines can last forever (and big ideas don't). 

They represent a statement, the North Pole star of the brand.

BIG IDEA

Everyone is talking about Big Ideas. 

Where do they come from? How do I know if I have one?

You’ve been coming up with big ideas all your life. You just don’t realize it.

How to concept a big idea:

First Up: Stop writing taglines. 

Use this Template: 

“I have an idea, let’s create/show/demonstrate/celebrate/own ..."

It works because it gives a lead in instead of a blank page. And ignore the idiots who say a big idea has to fit in a business card. That’s the campaign line and we’ll worry about it afterwards. 

Let’s test with Nike if this template helps differentiate a tagline from a big idea. 

Tagline: Just Do It 

Brand Truth: Sport to the max 

Big Idea: I have an idea, let’s celebrate those who play with everything they got. 

What a shitty idea! A big idea has to scratch a itch, it has to solve problem. 

Let’s try again... 

Big Idea: I have an idea, let’s show that during the World Cup, when the planet’s eyes are on every move, it’s more important than ever to perform at your best. While an incredible play can bring you fame, riches and immortality, a single mistake can cost you everything. 

Campaign Line: Write The Future. 

The big idea can be long, only the line needs to be short, closing the circle. 

Use also this questions to find the Big Idea: 

If it didn’t exist, what could the user do? 

What would the world be like if it didn’t exist? 

Imagine a world where everybody had it? 

If we were to create a character, who would it be? 

How does someone feel when they interact with it? Now try to understate it. And exaggerate it. 

What does owning this brand say about you? Underestimate it. Exaggerate it. 

EXECUTION

METHOD CONCEPTING (TM)

You need emotional authenticity to come up with good execution ideas.

The Method Concepting, inspired by the Method Acting technique, is a tool to create from the perspective of another person, with emotional authenticity. 

You’re acting, just with your pencils. 

Put yourself in this person's shoes: 

What’s he wearing? 

What’s his hair look like? 

What’s he listening to? 

What phone does he have? 

What did his last text message say? 

What’s his prevailing attitude? 

What does he think about your brand? 

...

COPYWRITING

Copywriting is like getting laid. Is an act of seduction. 

The headline is your pick up line. 

Every other sentence in your copy is like a date. 

If the first is good you get a second, etc...

Only after a few dates will you invite her to your apartment.

And only after a meaningful relationship will you have a good chance of asking her to marry you.

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Cannes 2015 Day 4 / Mindscapes

Mindscapes Workshop - Decoding Innovation

Discovering thinking patterns behind creative ideas.

You might think that some people are just more creative than others. But it is possible to train yourself to think more creatively. Mindscapes has decoded recurring thinking patterns of creativity and developed a set of tools which you can use to boos your own creative innovation. This is your chance to super-charge your creative brain.

At the Young Creative Academy we had the chance to learn three of those tools.

1. DYNAMIC CONNECTIONS

The Logic

Creating new dynamic connections between variables of a system, as the core of a new innovative communications idea. These connections should reinforce the main brand idea you wish to convey.

A system is composed of:

Product/service

Medium

POS

Event

World of User

Internal Variable: any variable of the system which is in the creator’s complete and total control. E.g. the price, size of the product, etc.

External Variable: any variable in a system or in its immediate vicinity which is not in the creator’s control. E.g. the outside temperature at the moment of drinking, the distance between the viewer and a screen, etc..

The more creative your variables are, specially the external, the more creative your system will be.

The connection can be automatic/effortless or manual. If it is manual it works more like a brand alternate currency.

Step by Step

List the system's internal and external variables. Make two looong lists. Bring to mind the obvious variables as well as less obvious (creative) variables.

Pair off the variables, playing internal against external variables.

For each pair, identify whether dynamic connections exists already between the variables.

If such connections does not exist, create one, and if it odes - try to dissolve it or change it.

Search for possible new consumer interest/benefit/advantage or for a media buzz, which may result from this idea.

Look for very concrete, simple to execute, effortless to users.

Some Reminders

'd rose Jump Store', Adidas, UK

MTV mobile Emography Project

Pay Per Laugh, Teatre Neu

'My Home is an Oven', BGH, Argentina

'Bid your sweat', Nike, Mexico

'The Generous Store', Anton Berg, Denmark

'Budweiser Ice Cold Index', Budweiser, Ireland

'Claro Extra Minutes', Ogilvy & Mather, Costa Rica

2. RELOCATION

The Logic

Take one or more of the system's components and relocate it into a new place, thus exploring new possibilities of creating new innovative ideas. The relocated components may be modified to fit in its new position.

Component: a fixed element in a system. E.g. on button, volume button, like button, share button, order button, tweet button, check-in button, etc...

The Tips

Explore the potential of the various fields of Relocation: Product/Service, Medium, World of User, Event, POS.

Try dividing the components of any digital media/system and explore possibilities of relocating them in another physical place; i.e. a sponsored event, a branded event, POS etc.

Try dividing any digital system/medium and explore the possibiliteis of placing them on/in the product or service.

In many cases, after relocating one component from the original system, a new/different technology is required to implement the new idea.

Some Reminders

'VIP fridge magnet', Red Tomato Pizza, Dubai

The Social Swipe

'Fashion Like', C&A, Brazil

'Concert for the people', Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Germany

'Home Plus virtual subway store', Home Plus, Korea

3. NEW TASKING

The Logic

Assigning a new task to an existing resource in a system or to a resource which is in contact with the system (a task which is not expected from that resource), therefore demonstrating the brand message in an innovative way.

Example:

CNA - Speaking Exchange (the existing resource in the world of the medium is elderly native English speakers. The new task: to help CNA school students practice their conversational English).

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Cannes 2015 Day 4 / Jeff Goodby

Fuck Those People: Dealing Constructively With Rejection

5 STAGES OF REJECTION

Fuck this people.

Quit job.

Quit advertising.

Drink magic potion.

Win gold lion.

ADVICE FROM THE LEGEND

Don’t be afraid do fail. Know that only 1% of the work you do is going to be really great!

There's always a good reason for a client to turn an idea now. 

You have to prepare for all those reasons in advance. 

In a time of candles, selling the lightbulb was though!

In a time of horses, “selling” the car was though!

The real advertising stars are the ones who comeback. The ones who pick themselves up and try again.

Always aim for the stars, even if you’re small. Leader should always set and keep expectations really high.

“What are you doing Jeff?”

“You know...just making the best fucking advertising in the world!"

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Cannes 2015 Day 3 / CP+B Seminar

WHISKEY, RUM, BOARD SHORTS AND ADVERTISING

About six years ago, facing the new economic realities of this business, CP+B created a special group focused on developing and marketing brands owned by the agency.

Today, CP+B’s new product initiatives have become a significant and growing segment of the agency’s overall business, they have helped attract and retain great talent and they will play a huge role in the agency’s future. Join Chuck Porter, chairman of CP+B, Andrew Keller, CEO of CP+B, and Neil Riddell, head of CP+B’s Brand Development Group, as they discuss what they’ve learned in creating and launching Angel’s Envy bourbon, Papa’s Pilar rum, Noll surfing apparel and Dolomite high-end outdoor gear.

And learn how product design, innovation and venture capitalism all go hand in hand in the world of agency innovation.

Own your work. Don’t just get paid to work

Have real equity in the company you work for. 

Disrupt your business, not just your advertising. 

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Cannes 2015 Day 3 / David Shing

David Shing, Digital Prophet, AOL

David Shing talks  about creativity fueled by culture and code and why data needs to be used in collaboration with human intuition to be effective.

Disruptive tech & programmatic has dominated the advertising conversation of late. Where does creativity fit in all that?

EVERYWHERE.

Branded Content

We're making stuff for screens at the moment. And despite the size of the screen, the differences aren’t that many. 

For example content for cinema can be adapted to Mobile. It’s, the same aspect ratio, only much smaller. 

However, vertically-oriented media consumption (and production) is on the increase – YouTube stats show that 50% of all views now come from mobile, and Mary Meeker’s stats for 2015 show that 29% of all content consumed in a given day is in portrait. When was the last time you saw a selfie in landscape orientation? Turning a phone just to view content is a behaviour of the past.

For brands, the opportunity is obvious. The fastest off the mark (e.g. Burger King, Macy’s) have already seen a huge impact (up to 9x the completed views of horizontal video) from running vertical ads on the platform, intelligently targeted at those to whom it will most appeal. 

And to make things even harder, when we move to Internet Of Things or Wearables we have a really different aspect ratio AND architecture. 

Brands usually distribute the same content to all their channels instead of contextualising (because it's expensive). But context matters. A lot. So we need to really adapt our content. They need to understand the effect context, or rather the lack of it, has on their customers.

 Humans in the wild. 

Our job is to reassign some of the user attention. 

Users will always have 24h/day of attention. That won't ever change. Storytelling…is more about the story than about the telling. 

People don't care if content is branded or not. They only care if it's good or not.

Native = put your brand on places you can't buy media. 

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Cannes 2015 Day 3 / The Pop Up Agency Workshop

THE POP UP AGENCY: You Only Need 48 Hours to Solve a Brief 

Abraham Asefaw, Co-Founder/Director

Maksimilian Kallhed, Co-Founder/Director

Zlatko Corluka, Co-Founder/Director

A workshop to share "The Pop Up Method". A method that The Pop Up Agency developed during their journey around the world. We simulated a condensed 48H briefing session and worked under “extreme” pressure. We got to know a little bit more about their tools and methods, and also what a normal day with the Pop Up Agency is like.

48HOURS PROCESS: Brief - Research - Ideation - Prototyping - User testing - Treatment - Pitch

SPEED DATING IDEATION:

Round table with paper.

2 min to write an idea.

Circle to the right and build on other people’s idea.

Repeat several times.

In the end analyze all ideas and mark the ones you like.

Discuss the ideas. Never say “no", say "yes and…” instead.

For Decision Making use an Impact vs Implementation Matrix.

In the end, the chosen idea is everybody’s idea :)

6 fucking great advice for ideation here.

You can also check Project of How, a place to store and share creative methods, or MethodKit. 

How to decide on an idea.

At The Pop Up Agency you only have one 48h session, so decision making has to be a very important part of the process. They can’t afford to get stuck, and the method they use is the matrix.

First day of the 48h session the goal is to come up with as many ideas as possible. Usually they do 3-5 ideation methods and that should generate around 30-40 ideas. After that they go over to the decision matrix that helps find witch idea to go for.

How to quickly pitch an idea

It has never been more important to be succinct and straight the point when trying to get your ideas across. The Pop Up Agency presente a method of showcasing an idea in as little words and time.

Firstly you are required to describe the idea in the amount of characters available on twitter. This forces you to be as clear and concise as possible in delivering the key points of the idea.

Following this using four to six icons you then delve into more detail of the functions of the idea in a way that communicates the idea in a way that is understandable to everyone.

LEARNINGS - THE GOLD RULES:

Follow a Goal, not a Strategy. Strategy is the path, a Goal is the destination. There are several paths to the same destination. 

Same Page (make sure that each and everyone knows what you want to achieve).

Expectations (know exactly what your client wants).

Agenda (clear plan).

Don’t force stuff (never force the process, take a pause).

Talk less, do more (create more and talk less).

Keep it simple (not overthinking).

Be present (always be present - head straight all the time).

Don’t focus on the details see the bigger picture.

More details about The Nine Golden Rules here.

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Cannes 2015 Day 2 / Bob Isherwood

Creative Writing with Bob Isherwood

We all write with an editor standing on all shoulders. 

In creative writing we have to push ourselves pass clichés. 

All children are artists. The difficult thing is to remain one. 

Our education beats our originality out of us. 

But we're all original. There's no one like us. And there will never be. 

Creativity is reconnecting with the original you.

Daily Pages/ Free Writing Exercise: Write for 10 minutes straight, without thinking and without stoping, don't ever hesitate! It is not to be shared anyone. 

This website can help you: http://750words.com/ 

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Cannes 2015 Day 2 / Busta Rhymes and Mary Lee Copeland

Busta Rhymes on Storytelling

We communicate how we feel through stories. To make others feel like you feel!

The beauty of storytelling is that there's no rules. As long as you're able to captivate people's interest to start hearing your story. 

Storytelling is making people feel like you feel.

Next Level Storytelling with Mary Lee Copeland

Storytelling…is more about the story than about the telling.

Do I have a main character who want something? 

How strong is that feeling? 

How far apart is he from his goal? 

What does he need to get there? 

Plant a yes/no question in the mind of the audience.

Always add water (tears, sweat, rain…).